ArticleSubstance abuse : research and treatment2016
A Swedish Population-based Study of Adverse Birth Outcomes among Pregnant Women Treated with Buprenorphine or Methadone: Preliminary Findings.
Article in Substance abuse : research and treatment, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- The comparative effects of prenatal exposure to methadone versus buprenorphine for opioid use disorder on neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Fetal and Infant Effects of Maternal Opioid Use during Pregnancy: A Literature Review including Clinical, Toxicological, Pharmacogenomic, and Epigenetic Aspects for Forensic Evaluation.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Consensus Panel Recommendations for the Pharmacological Management of Pregnant Women with Depressive Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Prenatal opioid exposure and risk of asthma in childhood: a population-based study from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Article
- Association of Maternal Opioid Use in Pregnancy With Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in Ontario, Canada, From 2012 to 2018.JAMA network open · 2020Article
- Opioids affect the fetal brain: reframing the detoxification debate.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2019Article
- The Role of Preterm Birth in the Association Between Opioid Maintenance Therapy and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2018Article
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome and early childhood morbidity and mortality in Washington state: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUntreated opioid dependence in pregnant women is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Buprenorphine and methadone are options for opioid agonist medication-assisted treatment during pregnancy.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to describe adverse birth outcomes observed with buprenorphine or methadone treatment compared to the general population in Sweden.
methodsPregnant women and their corresponding births during 2005-2011 were identified in the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Data on stillbirth, neonatal/infant death, mode of delivery, gestational age at birth, Apgar score, growth outcomes, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and congenital malformations were examined. Frequencies were compared using two-sided Fisher's exact tests. Unadjusted estimates of birth outcomes for women treated with buprenorphine or methadone were compared to the registered general population.
resultsA total of 746,257 pregnancies among 538,178 unique women resulted in 746,485 live births. Among the 194 women treated with buprenorphine (N = 176) or methadone (N = 52), no stillbirths or neonatal/infant deaths occurred. Neonatal abstinence syndrome developed in 23.3% and 38.5% of infants born to mothers treated with buprenorphine and methadone, respectively. The frequency of the selected adverse birth outcomes assessed in women treated with buprenorphine as compared to the general population was not significantly different. However, a significantly higher frequency of preterm birth and congenital malformations was observed in women treated with methadone as compared to the general population. Compared with the general population, methadone-treated women were significantly older than buprenorphine-treated women, and both treatment groups began prenatal care later, were more likely to smoke cigarettes, and did not cohabitate with the baby's father.
conclusionsAn increased frequency of the selected adverse birth outcomes was not observed with buprenorphine treatment during pregnancy. Twofold increased frequency of preterm birth [2.21 (1.11, 4,41)] and congenital malformations [2.05 (1.08, 3.87)] was observed in the methadone group, which may be partly explained by older average maternal age and differences in other measured and unmeasured confounders.
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